Here's Why Jenny Slate from ‘It Ends With Us’ Looks So Familiar

You might know her from 'marcel the shell'

By Nakeisha Campbell

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Published Aug 9, 2024

Additional reporting by

Clara Stein

Getty Images

After what feels like endless waiting, Jenny Slate is joining Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni on the big screen for the movie premiere of Colleen Hoover's novel, It Ends With Us. And to say that I'm excited is an understatement.

After seeing the 42-year-old actress flex her acting and comedic chops in dozens of past projects, I'm not surprised that PureWow vice president of news and entertainment, Philip Mutz, writes in his movie review that Slate delivered a scene-stealing performance in the drama as Lily's good friend, Allysa. With all the buzz the film is generating, I thought it'd be a good time to take a closer look at her past work, her life behind the cameras and more.

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1. Who Is Jenny Slate?

Slate is an actress, stand-up comedian and writer whose career spans nearly two decades. After landing a few acting gigs, she gained notoriety through her live variety shows and her work on the popular short film series, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.

Slate went on to join the cast of Saturday Night Live for the 2009-2010 season, then landed guest roles in shows like Girls, House of Lies, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Parks and Recreation. But her breakout role came in 2014, when she played Donna Stern in the comedy-drama film Obvious Child. The performance won the comedian the Critics Choice Award for Best Actress in a Comedy, as well as nominations for an Independent Spirit Award and Gotham Independent Film Award. Slate also made an appearance in the Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All At Once as Debby the Dog Mom, a customer in Evelyn's laundromat.

2. What About Her Voice Performances?

As it turns out, Slate is also a talented voice performer. She has worked on animated films like The Lego Batman Movie (Harley Quinn), The Lorax (Mrs. Wiggins), Zootopia (Bellwether) and Despicable Me 3 (Valerie Da Vinci). Currently, she's a series regular on The Great North, where she voices Judy, and Bob's Burgers, where she voices Tammy.

3. What Role Does She Play in ‘It Ends With Us’?

Slate plays Lily's friend and Ryle's younger sister, Allysa Kincaid. Allysa is married to Marshall, played by the comedian Hasan Minhaj.

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4. Who Is Jenny Slate's Husband?

Slate is currently married to art curator and author, Ben Shattuck. On New Year's Eve in 2021, the pair tied the knot in their living room after three attempts to get married during the Covid-19 pandemic.

While speaking with Marie Claire about the big day, she said, "We were planning on a [wedding] that ended up being almost 200 people, and then now, it’s just our parents and siblings. We each invited six friends… I actually like it."

Shattuck is a writer, painter and art curator with a master's degree from the Iowa Writer's Workshop. He published his first book, Six Walks, in 2022. Slate's husband is also, along with his brother, the owner of Davolls General Store in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. It's the oldest continually operating general store in the state, having open its doors in 1793.

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5. Do They Have Children?

In February 2021, Slate gave birth to her daughter, Ida. She's been quite vocal about how much she enjoys motherhood.

She told Marie Claire, "I only realized this after I had the baby, but I thought being a mother would be like a replica of my own mother's experience with motherhood. At least, how I perceived it: in which she really, really, really loves us [Slate and her two sisters] so much, and also, she often seemed really stressed out."

Slate continued, "Instead, I feel like it's been the opposite of that for me. Not at all that it's not difficult and challenging to have a newborn baby. There are so many profound challenges, but I've never been happier in my life. I feel like I can finally be what I want to be."